Mongolia

This is the Central Mongolia chapter from Lonely Planet’s Mongolia guide-book.

Verdant swaths of empty landscapes are sprinkled with tiny gers (traditional yurts), while magical light plays across the valleys. This is the Mongolian heartland, loaded with both historical sites and natural beauty.

• camp, hike and swim your way around the stunning volcanic lake at Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur
• maps
• take a break from Ulaanbaatar and head to the nearby hills and valleys of Gorkhi-Terelj Na-tional Park, best explored on a hike or via horseback
• transport
• visit history-laden Kharkhorin for the ancient temples and ruined remains of Erdene Zuu Khiid, Mongolia’s first Buddhist monastery
• restaurants & accommodation

This is the Eastern Mongolia chapter from Lonely Planet’s Mongolia guide-book.

This is where you’ll find the steppe that was the ecological backbone of the great horse no-madic empires of history. Everywhere is grass, grass, grass and herders who have carved a life out of the marriage of livestock and prairie.

• spend a few days around log cabins and Chinggis Khaan legends in Dadal
• maps
• pay your respects to the local deities with an ascent of the sacred peak of Shiliin Bogd Uul
• transport
• tour Dariganga’s cultural relics and eerie volcanic landscapes
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Khentii, Chinggis, Binder, Dadal, Dornod, Khökh Nuur, Choibalsan, Buir Nuur, Sükhbaatar, Baruun-Urt, Dariganga, Shiliin Bogd Uul.

This is the Northern Mongolia chapter from Lonely Planet’s Mongolia guide-book.

The most famous body of water here is Lake Khövsgöl, the ‘Mother Sea’ of the nation, but beauty abounds across the region, in the pine-scented forest, the wild, rugged steppe, and espe-cially in the Shangri-La-like isolation of the Darkhad Valley.

• while away an afternoon fishing on Mongolia’s loveliest alpine lake Khövsgöl Nuur
• maps
• visit the remote region’s Tsaatan reindeer herders at Darkhad Valley, the edge of the great Siberian taiga
• transport
• wander the grounds of Mongolia’s Buddhist architectural highlight, Amarbayasgalant Khi-id
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Selenge, Sükhbaatar, Altanbulag, Dulaankhaan, Darkhan, Amarbayasgalant Khiid, Bulgan, Erdenet, Bulgan City, Khövsgöl, Mörön, Khövsgöl Nuur National Park, Chandman-Öndör, Darkhad Valley, Shine-Ider & Jargalant,

This chapter contains the Welcome to Mongolia, Mongolia’s Top 13, Need to Know, If You Like..., Month by Month, Itineraries, Trans-Mongolian Railway, Outdoor Activities, Organised Tours, Road Trip Naadam, and Regions at a Glance chapters from Lonely Planet’s Mongolia guidebook.

Your journey to Mongolia starts here. You’ll find the tools to plan your adventure: where to go and when, how much to budget, plus in-depth info on outdoor activities.

• tailor-made itineraries, arranged by region, themes and events
• list of highlights and best experiences
• everything you need to know about road-tripping in Mongolia
• user-friendly country overview ensures you won’t miss a thing

Coverage includes: Welcome to Mongolia, Mongolia’s Top 13, Need to Know, If You Like: Hiking, Monasteries, Spotting Wildlife, The Obscure, Month by Month, Itiner-aries, Trans-Mongolian Railway, Outdoor Activities, Organised Tours, Road Trip Naadam, and Regions at a Glance.

This is the The Gobi chapter from Lonely Planet’s Mongolia guidebook.

The Gobi reveals itself in pockets of amazing scenery, bridged by vast stretches of desolation where smartphone signals die and silence saturates. No wonder it’s one of Mongolia’s top-draw regions, promising colossal sand dunes, dinosaur fossils, camel treks, and hospitable nomadic herders.

• take one step forward and slide three steps back on awesome sand dunes at Khongoryn Els
• maps
• go fossil hunting at the beautiful ‘flaming cliffs’ of Bayanzag, rich in dinosaur bones and fossil eggs
• transport
• scramble up rock formations and searching for argali (mountain sheep) at Ikh Nartiin Chuluu
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Dundgovi, Mandalgov, Baga Gazryn Chuluu Nature Reserve, Erdenedalai, Ongiin Khiid, Ikh Gazryn Chuluu, Dornogovi, Sainshand, Khamaryn Khi-id, Ikh Nartiin Chuluu, Zamyn-Üüd, Ömnögovi, Dalanzadgad, Gurvantes, Gurvan Saikhan Na-tional Park, Bayanzag, Bayankhongor, Bayankhongor City, Gov-Altai, Altai.

This is the Ulaanbaatar chapter from Lonely Planet’s Mongolia guidebook.

If Mongolia’s yin is its pristine countryside, then Ulaanbaatar harmonises as its vibrant yang. It’s a sprawling, industrialised city of pulsating commerce, wild traffic, sinful nightlife and bohe-mian counterculture. This ever-changing city may be the biggest surprise of your Mongolian ad-venture.

• weave through Mongolia’s ancient past at the impressive National Museum of Mongo-lia
• maps
• walk the prayer circuit around Gandan Khiid, the country’s largest monastery
• transport
• ponder the eccentric collection of curios and artefacts at the 19th-century Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: History, Sights, Activities, Festivals & Events, Sleep-ing, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping.

This chapter contains the Mongolia Today, History, Dulmaa Enkhchuluun & Jack Weather-ford, The Mongolian Way of Life, Traditional Gers, Spiritualism in Mongolia, Mongolian Cuisine, Tribal Mongolia, Wild Lands & Wildlife, Directory A–Z, Transport, Health, and Language chapters from Lonely Planet’s Mongolia guidebook.

All the info you need on everything from history religion and wildlife to flights, public transport, climate, money, the internet... you name it. Get tips for women travellers, gay and les-bian travellers, travellers with disabilities, and travellers with kids. And get the most out of your conversations with a handy language guide and glossary.

• a rundown on the lifestyle of Mongolians
• info on traditional gers
• details on Mongolia's tribal groups
• coverage of the country's wildlife and environmental issues

Coverage includes: Mongolia Today, History, Dulmaa Enkhchuluun & Jack Weatherford, The Mongolian Way of Life, Traditional Gers, Spiritualism in Mongolia, Mongo-lian Cuisine, Tribal Mongolia, Wild Lands & Wildlife, Directory A–Z, Transport, Health, and Lan-guage.

This is the Western Mongolia chapter from Lonely Planet’s Mongolia guide-book.

Raw, rugged and remote, this region has for centuries been isolated – both geographically and culturally – from the Mongolian heartland. With its glacier-wrapped mountains, shimmering salt lakes and hardy culture of nomads, falconry and horsemanship, western Mongolia is a time-less slice of Central Asia.

• climb Khuiten Uul 4050m to Malchin Peak for stunning views of Mongolia’s highest mountain
• maps
• pitch a tent beside beautiful Khoton Nuur, dotted with Kazakh settlements around its shore
• transport
• rub shoulders with Kazakh eagle hunters at Ölgii Eagle Festival; fast becoming western Mongolia’s biggest tourist drawcard
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Bayan-Ölgii, Ölgii, Sagsai, Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, Tolbo, Tsambagarav Uul National Park, Khovd, Khovd City, Khar Us Nuur National Park, Chandmani, Uvs, Ulaangom, Üüreg Nuur, Kharkhiraa Uul & Türgen Uul, Achit Nuur, Khyargas Nuur National Park, Zavkhan, Uliastai, Otgon Tenger Uul Strictly Protected Area.